The Human Condition

We are messy.

We always have some conflict between science and the supernatural, love and passion, and right and wrong.

As a society, we have formed the negative, but our ability to name it constitutes the basis of all our moral judgments. Because we measure ourselves by the negatives we have created, we allow guilt into our lives with a rule we made ourselves believe in.

For example, we think, “We should work out to be attractive,” but we simultaneously think, “It’s wrong to derive ourselves of pleasure.” Which “should” should we follow? Which “should not” should we give authority to?

We chronically suffer from the human condition.

We divide ourselves into social classes. Social hierarchy creates division. Division creates guilt. Guilt creates the need for identification. And the need for identification creates drama.

Guilt is the central motive for human action and communication. We continuously feel it and attempt to purge ourselves from the discomfort it causes. Think about the simple act of buying flowers for your significant other. Do you do it because you love her or because you haven’t been paying the relationship enough attention lately? If it’s because you love her, then why do you feel the need to perform such an action?

Compassion, esteem and love reflect awareness of division and a desire to transcend it. These motives are all driven by guilt. For synthesized comfort, we create rules and standards of perfection by which we measure our legitimacy. Then, we hate ourselves when we cannot obtain such unobtainable measures. How twisted is that?

Don’t fall prey to guilt. It isn't good for your complexion.

-Swanky